A tabloid mainstay after she gained weight, former "Cheers" actress Kristie Alley decided to try and turn things to her advantage with a show where she takes her situation lightly. While watching the series, it becomes pretty apparent that Showtime was looking for their own version of Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm".

"Fat Actress", created by Kristie Alley and "7th Heaven"(!)'s Brenda Hampton, "Actress" stars Alley as herself, an actress who finds herself looking for work in a town where thin is, unfortunately, still in. Assisted by her agent, Sam (Michael McDonald from "Mad TV"), her assistant (Brian Callen, also of "Mad TV") and her make-up girl (Rachel Harris), the show watches Alley try to get her career back and find romance.

The series does work in some ways and becomes uncomfortable in others. Some of the little one-liners and jokes get a laugh (see the first episode, where Alley tries to talk John Travolta into doing a fourth "Look Who's Talking"), but the central subject is a bit rough. While Alley does take her weight situation lightly, the series tends to reinforce negative stereotypes from the media and often seems downright mean (everyone who sees Alley in the show stops and goes, "Can you believe how FAT she got?".) In another episode, actress Leah Remini jokes that she's feeling "Kirstie Alley fat." Although it's supposed to be "all a joke", the series takes things a little over-the-top and each episode has the actress trying to utterly embarass or humiliate herself for a laugh.

Some of the show's other positives include the occasional guest stars. Mayim Bialik, who hasn't been seen on television since "Blossom", guest stars as herself in a couple of episodes, including one where she sharply suggests to Alley that she's overweight because she lives in such a big house. If she moves into a smaller environment, maybe she'll be smaller. Bialik's performance as Alley's neighbor is impressively nasty, and it's fun to see the actress back delivering a completely different tone. NBC Exec Jeff Zucker isn't too bad either as a TV exec in the series. The show's supporting cast isn't bad either, although McDonald isn't as funny here playing a straightforward role as he is on "Mad TV".